Curagh Guineas Meeting Friday Tips – DS
Curragh Guineas Meeting Friday Tips
It is Guineas weekend in Ireland and we have an excellent three day card at the Curragh. The action kicks off on Friday night and the feature races are the G3 Gallinule and the Emerald Mile Handicap. Dave Stevos has already posted ante-post picks for the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas. You can check out his Curagh Guineas Meeting Friday tips below.
4.25 – EBF Auction Maiden (2yo)
I don’t usually cover these maidens but there are some very interesting newcomers in this. There has been a fair bit of rain around the last few days and that will play a big part in all the races this evening. The fav here has obvious claims so I am not going to waste time discussing him. The first horse my eye was drawn to was Kevin Coleman’s son of U S Navy Flag, Catherine Of Siena. However, the rain has put me off, as has the fact that Coleman has a first reserve lurking with Seamie booked.
Madakasham Jam, a James Garfield filly, is another one that looks interesting. Davison can ready one, Ronnie Whelan is booked but his sire was best on nice ground. On the other hand, his Acclamation dam won three races and there was cut in the ground for all three. Her half sister won a Listed race on soft too so you would think there is a chance that this filly will go on the ground.
Solid Start
James Garfield has made a solid start at stud. In the UK he has had 3 winners from 4 runners, all on good ground. He hasn’t had a runner on soft yet so it is too soon to say that his progeny need it quick and this evening will tell a lot. Davison’s string is hitting form and he does well at the Curragh (4/60 with 18 top 4s overall). He has also had a couple of places with his 2yo runners here. At odds of 33/1, Madakasham Jam is the e/w selection.
Curagh Guineas Meeting Friday tips: Madakasham Jam e/w @ 33/1
6.00 – Emerald Mile (Premier Handicap)
The second maiden on the card makes no appeal as a betting heat. Neither does the Gallinule. This race most certainly does though. The one that looks a crazy price to me now that the rain has come is Quizical. Sheila Lavery’s son of Roderic O’Connor isn’t the easiest to win with, admittedly, but he has enough recent form in the book to suggest he is capable of running better than his odds of 66/1 would suggest.
As one would expect, this is an extremely competitive handicap. Quizical warmed up for it with a spin in the Lincoln where he ran better than it looks on paper. He was up with the leaders up until the final furlong and his lack of a recent run took its toll in the closing stages. If he strips fitter for that run and he is in the same form as he was on his final run of last season, he can make his presence felt.
Solid Form
He ran a huge race in that 7f contest, beat just 3L by Boosala off 95. The winner scored off 97 and he was beat a nose off 104 at Chester. Quizical is in off 93 today and what’s more, promising young claimer Jack Cleary takes off another 7lbs. That means Quizical is effectively in off 9lbs lower than he was at Doncaster. It also means he is 2lbs lower than his last winning mark (when Shane Crosse claimed 5lbs off 93).
He has course form in the book, a win for AP McCoy on good (8f). In August 2020 he was beat 0.75L off 96 over C&D on heavy by Laughifyouwant, another occasion when he was claimer ridden. This 7yo is at his best when ridden aggressively and as Comfort Line showed in the Lincoln, it is possible to give it a proper go from the front from a high draw. Maybe he is being lined up for Galway, but this is a big pot so hopefully he is there to win some prize money. At odds of 66/1, Quizical is the each way selection.
Curagh Guineas Meeting Friday tips: Quizical e/w @ 66/1 (7 Places)
7.10 – William Hill Handicap (0-90)
Off a mark of 77, The Blue Panther is worth taking a punt on here at huge odds. Mick Mulvany trains this son of Buratino and he is beginning to look very dangerously handicapped. His best run last season came at this meeting in a 3yo handicap. He struggled early but then flew home late to grab 4th, beat just 3.75L for the win off 85. The winner was rated 84 at the time but he is now rated 104 after winning a Listed race. The 3rd was runner up in the Britannia next time and The Blue Panther landed a race himself at Sligo (6f yld) two starts later.
His form tailed off subsequently but his mark shot up to 93 and he was simply badly handicapped. He was entitled to need his comeback at Cork and a mile on good ground last time was never likely to suit. Connections will be happy with the recent rain and they’ll be even happier he is now rated 77, 8lbs lower than when 4th here last season. If that wasn’t enough, Wesley Joyce also takes off 7lbs and he is worth every ounce of that claim. Off effectively 15lbs lower than he was here last season, The Blue Panther is worth chancing e/w at 50/1.
